My name is Alex. I was seventeen years old—was being the key word.
I died.
Killed by a man who tried to rob me.
I didn't have anything to give him. Being seventeen, I barely owned anything at all.
Maybe that's what made him snap.
He stabbed me—six brutal times—and left me bleeding out on the cold pavement.
I thought I was going to die and either wake up in Heaven or Hell.
But no.
When I opened my eyes, it wasn't what I expected.
I was in a cell.
A dark, cold, suffocating cell.
Chains dug into my wrists and ankles, their iron bite unrelenting. My body was covered in cuts and stab wounds—fresh ones. Like someone had tortured me while I was unconscious.
Groaning in pain, I shifted and looked around. The space was cramped, barely enough to stretch out. I noticed something else—something that made my heart pound.
I was shorter. Way shorter—at least three feet. My skin, too, was noticeably lighter, almost pale.
Confused, I reached for the door to pull myself up. The moment my fingers brushed the metal, a surge of electricity shot through me.
Pain exploded through my body, launching me across the room.
I slammed into the jagged wall, sharp rocks stabbing into my back.
A raw, broken scream tore from my throat.
Tears welled up, blurring my vision. My muscles twitched and spasmed as the shock faded.
"Where… where am I?" I whispered hoarsely, my voice cracking.
"Why am I in here...?"
Darkness crept in at the corners of my vision, and I passed out.
[System Notice: Host "Rimuru Tempest" has had mana unsealed successfully. Some skills and abilities are currently sealed due to host's low readiness.]
I stirred awake to the voice, blinking blearily at the ceiling.
That name—Rimuru Tempest—it was familiar.
I knew that voice, too.
"Great Sage? Is that you?" I rasped.
[Notice: Yes.]
A short, broken chuckle escaped me.
Of course. It made sense now.
I was... reborn. Reborn as Rimuru Tempest.
"Right… so that explains why I'm so short now," I muttered, pushing myself upright with the help of the wall.
But it didn't explain the cell.
"Great Sage, why am I here? This... isn't Tensura, is it?"
[Notice: You are currently in World 48—the Marvel Comics world, as you remember it.]
My eyes widened.
Marvel.
Of all the places...
No wonder I was in chains.
"Captured by Purifiers, right?" I guessed bitterly.
[Correct.]
I clenched my fists, my nails biting into my palms.
This was bad. Really bad.
If the Purifiers had me, they wouldn't just imprison me. They'd torture, experiment, and eventually kill me—all because they thought I was some kind of mutant freak.
"Great Sage," I said, calming my breathing, "can you tell me what skills I have right now?"
[Notice: Here is a clear breakdown:]
Core Abilities:
Predator: Consume, analyze, and mimic abilities or forms.
Great Sage: Super-intelligent support system for analysis, strategy, and skill control.
Magic Sense: 360-degree high-precision perception—radar, vision, and more.
Skills and Powers (Gained through Predator):
Black Flame & Black Lightning: Offensive magic absorbed from Ifrit and others.
Water Manipulation: Learned from aquatic creatures.
Sticky Steel Thread: Spider-like threads from giant monsters.
Body Armor/Resistances: Immunity to many elemental attacks.
Transformations: Human form, mimicry, and healing factor.
Creation Skills: Crafting potions, food, and gear from memory.
I smirked.
Even at my weakest state, I was overkill for the Purifiers.
[Notice: Mana levels currently low due to recent awakening.]
I frowned.
"How long until I recover fully?"
[Notice: Estimated recovery time—two days.]
Two days?
I didn't have that kind of time.
The chains rattled as I shifted my weight.
I had to get out of here. Mana or no mana.
Tomorrow, I was escaping.
No matter what.
The Next Morning
I awoke to the sound of heavy boots thudding down the corridor.
They stopped at my door.
Keys clattered.
The lock clicked.
The door swung open, revealing an old man with a shotgun slung across his chest. In one hand, he carried a filthy plate piled with rotten tomatoes and shriveled carrots.
He sneered down at me, his black eyes cold and lifeless. A scar carved across his weathered face.
"Eat up, monster," he growled, tossing the food at my feet.
I looked up at him through narrowed golden eyes, my patience slipping.
"Why?" I asked, voice low and steady. "Why are you doing this?"
The man met my gaze with nothing but pure hatred.
"To rid the world of monsters like you," he spat.
My hands curled into fists.
Monsters like me...
Without warning, he raised the shotgun and fired.
The blast hit me square in the chest—
—but it barely made me flinch.
Thanks to my slime physiology, the buckshot simply flattened against my body, harmless.
A smirk tugged at my lips.
Slowly, I stood.
The chains groaned—and then snapped—shards of metal flying across the cell.
The old man stumbled back, terror flashing across his face.
He fired again, but I was faster.
In the blink of an eye, I was in front of him, my hand closing around his throat like a vice.
I lifted him off the ground effortlessly.
"Remember this," I said coldly. "You call us monsters... yet you tortured a seventeen-year-old kid for days."
He gurgled, struggling, then spat at my hand, his face twisted with hate.
"You... are a monster," he hissed.
I stared at him with empty, golden eyes.
Emotionless. Cold.
Black flames coiled around my arm, swirling with a vicious hunger.
The man's screams filled the small cell—but not for long.
In seconds, he was gone.
Nothing left but silence.
I dropped his charred body onto the floor without a second glance and walked toward the door.
Outside, a long corridor stretched ahead, carved deep into stone.
Without hesitation, I punched the metal door at the end—
It exploded outward, sunlight flooding in, blinding and warm.
Shielding my eyes, I stepped outside.
The world smelled different.
Fresh. Earthy.
Trees stretched to the horizon. Cows grazed lazily in a nearby field. A white, two-story farmhouse sat a little ways off.
"A farm, huh?" I muttered.
I raised my hand, a smirk playing on my lips, and released a small black flame.
It soared through the air, striking the farmhouse.
The moment it made contact, a black inferno engulfed the building, the explosion rippling through the air like a shockwave.
Satisfied, I summoned black bet wings from my back and launched into the sky—
leaving nothing but ashes behind.